My name is Rose and I am a Canadian freelance writer with a healthcare background in nursing, orthotics/prosthetics, and ophthalmology.
I was briefly redeployed during the 2003 SARS outbreak as a frontline worker.
Since May 2016, I have been researching the Zika virus and have compiled unpublicized facts on my blog post: Why We Must Demand the CDC and Health Canada Enact Level 3 (Avoid Nonessential Travel).
To help raise money for Zika research, I also designed over 25 educational or humorous items on Zazzle for my Zika: Let's Stop a Global Pandemic Collection.

InfoBarrel is a writing platform for non-fiction, reference-based, informative content. Opinions expressed by InfoBarrel writers are their own.

In May of 2016, Dr. Amir Attaran (along with Prof. Arthur Caplan, Dr. Christopher Gaffney, Prof. Lee Igel) penned an open letter to Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).[1]

It was signed by 240 research scientists and public health experts from 40 countries around the world. They urged the WHO and IOC to postpone and/or move the Rio Olympic Games in the name of global public health.

But nothing changed, the Games were held as scheduled in August and September despite clear evidence that mosquitoes were abundant. Even on the podium.

Plenty of Mosquitoes at the Games

On August 9th, 2016, Martin Rogers of USA TODAY Sports wrote: "On Saturday, the influx of mosquitoes was extraordinary ... athletes were swatting mosquitoes away from their faces as they stood atop the podium."[2]

An NPR post published August 26th, 2016 clearly shows about 43 mosquitoes hovering around South Korea's bronze medalist Ki Bo Bae during the medal ceremony for archery at the Rio Olympic Games.[3]

But Prior to the Olympics

On July 8th, 2016, EMTV Online published the following interview with Dr. Constancia Ayres, medical entomologist, at Fiocruz in Brazil. Just scroll to the 2:09 mark (I wrote out a condensed transcript under the video):

Reporter: "So what's the most important discovery you've made?"

Dr. Ayres: "That there is probably another species involved in Zika transmission ... another very common mosquito, call it Culex."

Reporter: "So the government only has only part of the picture by saying it's one breed of mosquito, you've found it in another one."

Dr. Ayres: "Yes, and these ones [mosquitoes] are much more common than Aedes aegypti."

Reporter: "And it's more dangerous because it breeds anywhere."

Dr. Ayres: "Yes ... and its in much more countries like in the United States, in Australia, and some countries in Europe."

Reporter added near the end: "And she said that in some places where there has been Zika, there's no Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – but there are Culex."

Early in 2016

On March 3rd, 2016, the study Differential Susceptibilities of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus [tiger mosquitoes] from the Americas to Zika Virus concluded:

"This study suggests that although susceptible to infection, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were unexpectedly low competent vectors for ZIKV. This may suggest that other factors..."[4]

Credit: Tom Skinner LinkedIn Public Profile Photo But the CDC completely ignored the data. A May 2nd, 2016 post by Aleszu Bajak in Undark states:

"The CDC has dismissed the Zika – Culex link entirely. Tom Skinner, a senior press officer at the CDC (shown at right), responded in an email:

"[There's] nothing to suggest Culex playing any role in transmission of Zika."[5]

Two Months Earlier (March 7th, 2016)

PBS NewsHour Published More Proof About Culex

In Katie Worth's post, A common U.S. mosquito may transmit Zika virus, study says,Dr. Ayres explained that historically, the studies which looked at vectors of the Zika virus focused only on Aedes mosquitoes. There were only four studies conducted over the course of 70 years.

But none of the studies even considered Culex.

So Dr. Ayres fed Zika-infected blood to 200 mosquitoes; 100 Culex and 100 Aedes aegypti. After a week, she tested a dozen mosquitoes and found all were infected with Zika.

Notably, when she tested the viral load in their salivary glands, the Culex mosquitoes were reproducing the Zika virus at an exceptionally high level.

But there were (and still are) economic reasons that Brazil and the IOC (which shares an unethical partnership with the WHO),[6] never wanted to acknowledge that Culex is a vector.

Mosquito eradication efforts would need to change.

"Furthermore, Brazil would have to confront its major wastewater problems: In Recife, only about a third of homes are connected to the sewage system. Waste water from the rest drains into ditches, canals, or rivers, making an abundance of breeding grounds for Culex."

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen, an expert in reproductive health at Bournemouth University, accused the IOC and the WHO of being "too close for comfort" and of operating behind a cloak of secrecy. "There is a Memo of Understanding between them which they have not made public. They are not democratically elected organisations."[7]

WHO's Vector Control Group in Geneva

Claims Brazil is Not Mistaken to Target Aedes Aegypti

"In Brazil, we have relied, since the beginning of the epidemic, on the official information from the World Health Organization that the mosquitoes from the Aedes genus are primarily responsible for the transmission of the Zika virus." ~ Claudio Maierovitch, director for communicable diseases in Brazil’s Ministry of Health[9]

Zika never before had been known to be sexually transmissible, which this virus strain is, or to cause the fetal brain damage. Researchers have now established that an outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013 was the same strain.[9]

But the virus was not found in Aedes aegypti there, said Dr. Ayres.

Curious, I looked through the CDC Stacks of the phylogenetic tree of fragments of the Zika virus. I followed those that branched out from the 2013 French Polynesian strain. It alarmed me to find a Canadian strain so closely related.[10]

In the Society Island Group of French Polynesia

The Global Location of French Polynesia

Credit: SEDACMaps on flickr (CC-by-2.0)

Culex Must Love Rio's Polluted Waterways

But Whistleblowers Have Been Punished (or Worse)

For the AP, a virologist tested Rio's waterways and found consistent and dangerously high levels of viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses (includingheart and brain inflammation). In the Marina da Gloria, viral readings were actually higher in June 2016 than in March 2015.[11]

The Guardian confirmed that after the AP's initial report, the Olympics' adviser on health matters, the WHO, said it would carry out its own viral testing in Rio's Olympic waterways. But then later reneged stating that bacterial tests alone would suffice.[12]

Peter Sowrey was fired as chief executive of World Sailing when he asked for a change of venue for the Olympic athletes (he didn't resign).

And remember: Culex mosquitoes prefer polluted water and the Zika virus is present in urine. Rio's waterways are probably full of the Zika virus.

Priscila Pereira worked for PSAM (Programa de Saneamento dos Municipios do Entorno da Baía de Guanabara) was devoted to the clean up of Guanabara Bay. But she was found dead, shot 13 times while sitting in her car.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek: "Her younger brother said she’d been offered a bribe of 200,000 reais (about $82,000 CDN or $62,000 USD) to ignore some unspecified wrongdoing. He recalled her saying, "That's not me. I wasn’t raised like that."[13]

Credit: Howard Brier on flickr (CC-by-2.0)

Everyone Knows One Woman in New York

Transmitted the Zika Virus to a Man, Right?

But a February 23rd, 2016 CNN post titled CDC investigates 14 more possible cases of sexually transmitted Zika virus confirmed that the CDC was withholding information about sexually-transmitted cases.

Apparently, "officials have not said which states they are working with or where these women live because the risk applies to all women in the United States, according to Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy incident manager for Zika virus at the CDC."[14]

"We have been a little surprised by the number of suspected cases we've received, " she told CNN.

Out of 2,033 Zika-Related Microcephaly Cases

486 Babies Died in One Year = 24 Percent Mortality

Credit: Yafüt™ (CC-by-2.0)

The data: According to Brazil’s Health Ministry, 2,033 zika-related microcephaly cases have been confirmed in the country, one year after it was first reported. Another 3,055 cases are still under investigation.

In one year, 486 deaths were suspected to be related to microcephaly caused by infection by zika virus during pregnancy.

Guess the CDC has Mystical Powers

They Predicted Indirect Contact in the Utah Case

"Although isolation of ZIKV in cell culture from urine, semen, saliva, and breast milk has been described, to our knowledge, detection and isolation of ZIKV from conjunctiva has not been reported so far."[17]

Yet, over a month prior to this study, Ted Pestorius from the CDC mentioned tears might have been the reason behind the Utah case (where a son contracted Zika from his dying father). On August 8th, 2016, Ted Pestorius stated:

"It appears that the son may have caught the virus as he wiped his father's tears."[18]

I found that statement odd because of both the timing and the fact that a July 19th, 2016 Transcript for CDC Media Availability: Support for Utah investigation of Zika[16] included the following conversation:

Dr. Ingrid Rabe, CDC's Division of Vector Borne Diseases: "Thank you very much. So just in addition to that as was mentioned was the genital tract swabs that have been found positive and other public report goes, there is also a report of detection of virus in breast milk as well as detection of viral aqueous fluids from the inside of the eye in a patient to [sic] had uveitis.

Mike Stobbe, Associated Press: Does that mean tears?

Dr. Ingrid Rabe: No, that's actually internal.

That sounds fairly definitive. And I'm sure that the eyes have been examined extensively in other cases (even in lab animals) by the CDC. My sense is they have known for a while that the Zika virus is present in tears.

I would think that autopsies conducted on some of the 486 babies that died from Zika-related microcephaly in Brazil included swabs of their tear film.

Credit: USAFE AFAFRICA on flickr (CC-by-2.0) U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Austin M. May

CDC Not Recommending Aircraft Be Sprayed

According to a September 9th, 2016 post in Airways, the "CDC says that the chance of Zika-carrying mosquitoes getting on board commercial flights is slight and it does not recommend any prophylactic spraying of cabins."[19]

Puerto Rican Prisoners Not Tested For Zika

Every Month, Hundreds are Shuttled Into the U.S.

According to USA TODAY, a post dated October 14th, 2016, confirmed the worst.

Hundreds of prisoners who are regularly shuttled into the U.S. from PuertoRico and not tested for the Zika virus.

"We worry that they (the inmates) might be carrying the virus even though they are not showing the symptoms ... But they (prison officials) won't do it, unless the CDC mandates it." ~ Jorge Fermin, a corrections officer at the Guaynabo detention center and local president of the prison workers' union[20]

Each month, up to 240 inmates are moved from the Puerto Rico facility to the U.S. for various reasons.

As of October 12th, 2016, there were 25,355 locally acquired cases of Zika in Puerto Rico.[21]

When the U.S. surgeon general visited Puerto Rico August 11th, 2016, he predicted 25 percent of people on the island to be infected by Zika by the end of the year.[22]

Bottom Line: Unless the CDC, WHO, and Health Canada enact travel restrictions (level 3), mandate Zika testing of all Puerto Rican prisoners (or similar scenarios), recommend prophylactic spraying of aircraft and shipment containers, I am certain the Zika virus will continue to be a problem in the U.S. and Canada.

About four million Canadians a year visit Florida and many people stay for months – we call them "snowbirds". Sadly, Culex mosquitoes also bite birds.

CDC and Health Canada: Enact Warning Level 3

Published on July 5th, 2016

Ways You Can Help Get the Word Out

I began a Change.org petition called CDC Cover-up: Zika Test Fails to Detect 40 Percent of Infections (Enact Travel Bans).[23]

And I created a collection on Zazzle with products that promote the prevention of the spread of Zika. Every item purchased will help fund Zika research (either in Canada and/or Brazil): Zika: Let's Stop a Global Pandemic Collection.[24]

Lastly, keep up-to-date about Zika on my devoted Facebook page.[25]

Author's note: All of my citations have a clickable link to their source. The list is found in the bibliography at the end of this page.